Epidemic
by sowrongit'srachel
Summary: The host club members are dropping like flies, and no doctor can figure out why. The symptoms continue to get even more complicated, and soon enough it's a matter of life and death... Collaboration with AmberTonks.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Thanks for tuning in to my first fanfic (on this site, I've written for other fanfiction websites)! Also, as mention in the summary, this is a collaborative effort with Amber Tonks! **

"Where the hell are they?" an agitated Tamaki Suoh paced around Music Room 3 of Ouran Academy. He gripped his temples in exasperation.

"Senpai," the apathetic Haruhi Fujioka spoke up from across the room. "Ever thought they might be sick? Neither of them was in class today."

The Host Club King glanced up from the floor, "I suppose that could be right... I propose we-"

Master Tamaki was cut off by the door slowly swinging open. A solemn Hikaru stood in the doorway, which was suddenly miles taller than natural.

"Hika-chan! We were so worried!" Mitsukuni Haninozuka called out from Takashi's shoulders. "Where _were _you?"

The redheaded devil stayed silent.

"Hikaru," Haruhi cocked her head to the side like a confused dog. "Where's Kaoru?"

"Sick," was his monotonous response. The female host narrowed her eyes at the sulking twin.

"Don't do this again," she muttered; her face a mere few inches from his. "Now, you obviously aren't sick, so _what gives_?"

"Haruhi," Kyoya began with his always calm tone while scribbling into his notebook, "Do we have to worry about this now? The Host Club is about to open. We can't have a squabble like this; it would be bad for business. I'm sure you understand."

The scholarship student nodded and stared down at her feet, "Yeah, Senpai." She turned to Hikaru, "This conversation isn't over."

* * *

><p>"What is<em> with <em>you, Hikaru?" Haruhi inquired after all the customers had walked out the door.

The older Hitachiin twin raised his eyebrows, "I told you, Kaoru's sick-"

"Then I propose a field trip!" the always-ignorant Tamaki swooped in.

Hikaru groaned, "I really don't think-"

"So it's settled!" Tamaki shouted, the dumbest grin spreading across his face. "Mother!"

"Tamaki..." Kyoya muttered. "Please _don't _drag me into this."

The king smiled, and grabbed the club's financer by the arm towards the parking lot, as the other four reluctantly followed.

"But Boss..." Hikaru complained under his breath.

Haruhi whipped her head around, "Did you say something, Hikaru?"

* * *

><p>The Host Club poured out of a Mercedes Benz limousine as the Suoh family driver pulled up in front of the Hitachiin estate.<p>

"Wow," Haruhi gasped. The place was larger than her entire apartment complex altogether. She knew she needn't be surprised, but she felt as though she were in a whole other world.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Hikaru snapped. "Get a move on!"

"Hikaru!" Tamaki scolded, "You should _not _talk to your sister that way!"

"She's _not my sister_!"

The overly emotional billionaire stepped back unknowingly into Haruhi as a wounded visage spread across his fair-skinned face.

"Come on, Senpai," the doted upon female pushed a then-depressed Tamaki forward.

The front double doors swung open, an extensive family staff standing in a line in front of the grand staircase, "Welcome home, Master Hikaru!" they all smiled in unison.

The irritable host walked past all of them and up the stairs without uttering a single word, while the rest of the club silently trailed behind. Upon reaching the tall double doors to Kaoru's bedroom, Hikaru wasted no time throwing the doors open.

"Hey, guys," Kaoru smiled, his raspy voice even more hoarse than usual. "What are you doing here?"

Everyone begrudgingly pointed at Tamaki, who grinned as though he had no idea of the dagger eyes his classmates were shooting at him.

"Oh," the pale twin gave a meek laugh, only to spiral into a violent coughing fit. His twin bit his lip, an unreadable expression clouding his identical face.

Tamaki wasted no time trying to be "the father" as usual. "Mother! Why don't you go fetch Kaoru some tea or something?" he cocked his head like an ignorant dog.

Kyoya narrowed his eyes. "Seriously, Tamaki?" he groaned.

The notably dumb second year only stood there, staring at Kyoya until he finally relented.

"Fine," he sighed before swiftly walking out the door.

The Host Club Vice President returned a few short minutes later, carrying a perfectly balanced tray topped with a traditional tea set. "Here," he muttered, setting it in front of Kaoru.

"Thanks, Senpai," the younger Hitachiin smiled weakly, taking the tray out of Kyoya's outstretched hands.

Before the older Host could pull his hands back, Kaoru began coughing uncontrollably onto Kyoya's right arm.

"Sorry, Senpai," he weezed as his soft voice grew fainter with each passing second. Even Tamaki could see something was terribly awry.

Even though Kyoya was evidently horribly disgusted by the germs, it was of mass importance he keep his cool, "No problem."

Haruhi spoke up for the first time since entering the mansion, "Hey Senpai? Can I _leave _now? I have to get dinner started before Dad gets home from the bar..."

"Fine!" Tamaki snapped, "Go ahead! I don't care!"

"Bye then," she called over her shoulder on her way out the door. Haruhi's lack of compassion for anything seemed to make it even harder to let her go. Tamaki watched her every movement as she walked out the door much like an audience would follow a performance from start to finish.

"We should be going to," Mori said as Hunny yawned from his shoulders.

"Bye everyone!" Hunny said waving as he was carried from the room.

Tamaki remained in the room after his peers had left, looking around at his surroundings like a curious toddler. With him, everything was interesting, and held something worth discovering.

"Boss? Could you make like _everyone else _and _leave_?" Hikaru shouted, the annoyance extremely apparent in his tone. His eyes shone like poised daggers, prepared to fly across the room.

The King took on his typical wounded, dejected expression before darting from the room in typical Tamaki Suoh fashion.

**A/N Thanks for reading so far! I know it's starting off slow, but even Chapter Two has more suspense and drama and stuff. I do appreciate reviews but none are necessary. I'm (uh, we're) glad you're reading! We really do appreciate it :)**


	2. I Constantly Thank God For Tamaki

**A/N Thank you guys for favorite-ing, reviewing, and adding this to alerts! It really means a lot! I really enjoyed reading what you guys had to say. Again, I thank you guys! So, I give you guys Chapter Two. OH! And the title is inspired by "I Constantly Thank God For Estabon" by Panic! At the Disco, so thank you Panic! **

"Is Kaoru still sick?" Prince Tamaki asked the twin who was yet again running late.

Hikaru responded with an uncomfortably stiff nod.

"Well that's too bad, but the show must go on! Customers will be arriving any minute so let's get this place ready!" Tamaki said in his usual bipolar tone.

All of the hosts hurriedly set out tea sets, made coffee - prepared by Haruhi, of course - and placed the food trays where need be. They finished with no time to first customer walked in just as the prince set down the final cup.

The room quickly filled with girls swooning over their favorite hosts, who mostly made a beeline toward the most requested host: Tamaki. After around a half-hour Tamaki's over used pick up line was interrupted by the little boy Lolita.

"Tamaki, you're tearing up..." the king's latest request stared thoughtfully into his eyes. In that one moment, that one girl might've meant the world to Tamaki Suoh, or at least her happiness. But neither of them could really explain the feelings they shared, as they were only to last as long as Kyoya saw fit.

"It's just that…" Tamaki said to the short, brunette girl while cupping her chin in his hand, "Your exotic beauty is so stunning... I can't help but be moved to tears, my princess."

"Oh, Tamaki -!"

"Tama-chan?" Hunny called out in his extremely-high-pitched-uber-cute voice from across the room.

"Yes Hunny-senpai? Is something the matter?" The prince asked in his royal tone, turning to face, him, as his signature idiotically confused expression spread across his flawless face.

"Is there something wrong with Kyo-chan?"

Now that the hosts gazed closely at their vice president, they notice that his shoulders were slumped and his glasses had fallen off onto the laptop on the desk in front of him. All of the hosts stood and went to evaluate the matter further. All of the customers worriedly fidgeted.

"He's probably just fallen asleep." Haruhi sighed apathetically, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling.

Hunny poked Kyoya Ohtori's arm, "Kyo-chan?"

Kyoya didn't even stir.

He unceremoniously dropped to the floor as Tamaki attempted to shake him, "_Kyoya!" _

"Boss, you should just let him sleep." Hikaru said as he slipped a black Sharpie in his pocket.

"For now we're closing early! We can't run without Kyoya!" Tamaki said loudly enough to make Haruhi flinch.

Mori and Haruhi proceeded to escort the curious, gossiping customers out of Music Room 3.

"Senpai, he's probably just over tired and will wake up soon, don't do anything rash like…" The female host was cut off by a panicked and rash Tamaki.

"Yes we need an ambulance at Ouran academy." Tamaki told an emergency operator.

"Boss, I really…" Hikaru started as Hunny attempted to snatch the phone out of Tamaki's trembling hand.

"What do you mean is this a prank call? Of course it's not a prank! This is an emergency!" Tamaki screamed into the phone.

"Please, calm down, sir!" The operator said loudly enough for all of the hosts to hear with ease. "My apologies, we've had some... prank issues with students at Ouran Academy. We'll send an ambulance pronto." Tamaki glared at the redheaded singular twin, who only shrugged as a devious grin curled along his lips, acting as the equivalent to "guilty as charged."

"Good!" Tamaki nodded as he snapped his cell phone shut, "Now what were you saying Haruhi?"

"Not that it's important now but I was telling you not to do anything rash, that he's probably just tired and will wake up soon." Haruhi narrowed her eyes.

"Oh," Tamaki sighed, staring intently into the cell phone still in his hand.

**A/N Another kind of slow and short chapter, but a little bit better than Chapter One, I think. But, I'll leave the judging up to you guys. Anyways, it looks like we're going to shoot for updating on Wednesdays and Fridays/Saturdays until we can't write fast enough to update at that pace. So, I thank you again for reading! It means a lot for people to even look at this!  
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	3. Run, Don't Walk

**A/N So, we had to move our Wednesday chapter to Tuesday, because one of my extra-curriculars got moved to Wednesdays... So, yeah... New chapters weekends and Tuesdays (I hope this will work). Title from lyrics by Hey Monday, so that deserves credit! And thank you to everyone who's reviewed and such! Means so much, I kid you not!**

"What the hell?" Kyoya Ohtori mumbled as his eyes fluttered open a mere two minutes later. Five multi-colored blobs hovered over him as he pulled himself off the floor.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki exclaimed with glee, "You're alive!"

The Host Club Vice President groaned in irritation, "Of course I'm alive, you moron," He felt around his body for his glasses, to no avail.

"Here you go, Senpai," one of the shorter blobs spoke up - Haruhi, he recognized. The first year placed the pair of lenses in his fumbling hands without another word.

"Thank y-" before he could even finish his sentence, a barking cough tore out of his scratchy, tender throat. He gasped for air in between each hack, trying to keep it under control. _Great, _he so badly wanted to say, but he couldn't even catch his breath.

"Senpai?" The older Hitachiin asked, a look of concern growing in his deep brown eyes. The other hosts immediately understood why. His golden eyes flashed back to that terrible moment. The morning Kaoru woke up and explained he couldn't go to school. He shuddered and returned to reality.

Kyoya shook his head as he continued to cough hysterically, staring down into the flawlessly glossy flooring. The boy removed his glasses and wiped the moisture that had pooled around his tear ducts, glancing up to meet the gazes of his classmates.

The moment ended as a team of paramedics burst through the French-style double doors of the Host Club. Each of them rushed over to the suddenly pale Ohtori, prepared to lift him onto the stretcher.

"Tamaki, what the hell did you do?" Kyoya attempted to shout, only to be thwarted by his weak and hoarse vocal chords. Too exhausted to fight off the EMTs, the finance genius allowed the professionals to pull him onto the stretcher. His heavy eyes refused to stay open any longer as the pushed him out the door of Ouran Academy.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki cried out as he took off in pursuit of the quiet ambulance. Desperate, he let his feet carry him as far as his heart could take. The sidewalk and the buildings surrounding him disappeared one by one as he pushed himself further. _Faster. Faster, _he told himself. _You can do it._

"Senpai!" the Host Club king's precious "daughter's" breathless call was lost in the wind blowing past his ears. "Wait up!"

"Tama-chan!" Hunny called from atop Mori's shoulders.

He was suffocating. His heart pounded in his throat. He suddenly had the urge to throw up on the sidewalk in front of him. Wheezing, he fell to his knees.

"Senpai!" Haruhi doubled over to catch her breath. "Don't you know better than to run after an ambulance?"

The remaining members of the Host Club were only seconds behind her.

"Boss, are you out of your mind?" Hikaru gasped for air, nearly falling over from the sudden halt.

Tamaki only shook his head, grabbing his oxygen-deprived chest in pain.

A limousine slowly pulled up next to the group, and rolled its dark-tinted window down. "Master Hikaru?"

"Oh! Hi," the Hitachiin brother smiled at his family's personal chauffer. "Could you maybe give us a ride to the hospital?"

"Sure, I was headed there anyway to pick up your mother."

"What? W-why?" Hikaru's heart skipped a beat. _No, it can't be..._

Tamaki lifted his gaze to the driver, beads of sweat falling off his flushed face.

"Oh, Madam didn't tell you? Kaoru was admitted a few hours ago, apparently his fever spiked out of control," the man shrugged, rolling up the window, and unlocking the doors.

_No, _Hikaru nearly drove himself into a panic attack. _No._

**A/N I apologize for how short this chapter was. It just kind of worked out that way. Either way, it was fun to write! I think Chapter Four is a tad longer, but I'll have to check on that_. _Thank you guys for reading so far! **_  
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